The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-09-08
Col. OolYar's Speech.

Col. Oolyar's Speech.
Perhaps the most powerful speech |
of the campaign that will he heard |
was that made by Col. Colyar Mon
day. He spoke to good audience
in the court yard and held it al
most to man for nearly an hour
and half. People came specially |
to town toihear him. 1t is not of
ten now that men Of his stamp take
the stump. Grundy and Jones and
Gentry and Hatton and the browns
and johnson and Polk and the 9th
ers whose illustrious names adorn
the pages of the history of Tennes-
see and who used to move the null
titude by the great power of their
eloquence, all are gone and A. S.
Colyar is left almost alone as stall
wart type of old-time greatness. He
handled the question with vigor-
not in cold logic nor by rigid rules
Of rhetoric, but with power and
demonstration, making his points
as sharp as steel and driving them
home with trip hammer.
We cannot attempt to follow
him. lie begun his argument with
the statement that we have tried
whisky for a hundred years and
now it is fair to give no whisky a
trial of at least six years. 1t has
been tried and demonstrated for a
hundred years that whisky does no
man or woman good nor the COM
munity, now let's try it Elk years
without whisky and see if we like
it, and if not we can go back to it
again.
He took up Mr.. Jefferson, who
founded democracy, and showed
that prohibition is not only not in
consistent with democratic doctrine
as enunciated by the founder of
democracy, but that he even rec
commended it IN one Of his mes
sages.
lie took up Mr.. Cleveland's ut
terance in his letter OF acceptance.
cited by Mr.. Vertrees in support OF
/ the opposition, and showed how on
the contrary it supports prohibi-
tion. And thus it appears that the
founder of democracy and the
leading exponent of it to-day
agree in believing that prohibition
Is not inconsistent with sound dem
ocratic doctrine.
Col. Colyar then proceeded &c
draw the line. He showed how al
the churches had one at time de
clared themselves in favor of pro
hibition, how all the good men ant
women everywhere had arrayeC
? themselves for it, how the welfare o
' the state depended on it, how tn
decency and good order Of societ,
, demanded It, how the peace AM
, prosperity and happiness Of our wO
men and children appealingly es
poused it-all these on one side
and the saloon and its consequen
debauchery and suffering AM
c sin on the other-and he callet
on his auditors to take sides.
A man in Iowa was making
speech in opposition to prohibition
and he used an argument frequent
ly heard here. Said he: Fellow
! citizens, if you destroy our still
houses, what will we do with tn
! vast stores of corn we now max
into whisky"
A voice il the crowd responded
"Raise more hogs and less help
i Gel. Colyar was particularly Sc
we're upon Mr.. Vertrees' walton at
: tack upon the women Of Tennessee
That gentleman said that the pro
hibition party isRmade of up "long
haired men, abort haired wome
and Growing hens" The saloons
said he. make drunkards who neg
: lect their wives and children 40
thus entail misery and woe an
suffering, and when the noble
christian women come to the All
of these misery-burdened peopl
they are met and insulted by th
champion of the saloons tina
brought on the misery they al
y seeking to alleviate. He said
was the first time in history tia
. anycause had to be boosted at tn
expense of our yirtuOus christia
women. The bare statement of
, is abhorrent.
He showed how money was to b
. used to debauch voters and how til
negroes were beguiled into opposi
ton by the insidious false argumer
Z that this is strike at their free
dom and if successful will result
s their re enslavement. He tremble
> for the perpe tuity of any govern
ment where such mCmeGtOus que!
tons we're determined by any sue
corrupt means.
> The argument was powerf'
throughout. He closed with q
!, earnest, pressing appeal to the PEE
= pie to give prohibition trial OF
: least six years to see whether 1t
L good Or not.